40 Days of Joy - God Has Commanded us to Rejoice! - Day 8

40 Days of Joy - God Has Commanded us to Rejoice! - Day 8

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice." Philippians 4:4

Begin your time with God in prayer:

Praise God for who He is. Confess any sin so that nothing blocks your fellowship with Him. Ask God to use the Spirit and the Word to transform your life. Yield your will to God’s will.

Let God’s Word penetrate your head and your heart:

Rejoicing is a choice. The other day, my husband and I had 10 hours to kill in LA after the Rose Parade, ending a long day with an LAX pick-up. Suffice to say that my day would have gone a whole lot better had I heeded God’s command in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” It could have been a great day, a joyous day, but instead it was stressful and exhausting. At the end of the day, I was convinced that the only reason we don’t experience the joy of the Lord is that we either don’t know how to experience it, or we let our will and our flesh override God’s will which is intended to bless us and benefit us.

Philippians 2:14-16 - Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.

According to Philippians 2:14, what robs us of our joy?

What will our lives look like if we choose to rejoice in the Lord instead of grumbling and disputing (vs. 15)?

How does verse 16 say we are to do this?

God helps us to learn how to experience His joy by telling us what not to do (grumble and complain) and what to do (rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS).

Apply God’s Word to your life:

What have you been grumbling about that is robbing you of God’s joy?

Confess that your focus has been on your will, your wants, your circumstances, and not God’s will.

Choose, once again, to hold fast to the Word of God today – living out God’s command to rejoice in the Lord no matter what you encounter.

Father, I praise You for being the God who is above all and our source of true joy. I confess that I have been grumbling and complaining rather than rejoicing in You. Help me to learn to draw near to You, to align my will with Your will and to live for You today. Amen.

Related verses to meditate on:

Philippians 3:1 - Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

Psalm 118:24 - This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.